May 2 (Reuters) - Wall Street edged higher on Tuesday as gains for the tech and industrial sectors countered weakness in auto and energy stocks and investors digested a heavy day of earnings reports.

Ford shares dropped 4.4 percent and General Motors fell 2.9 percent, as major automakers posted declines in U.S. new vehicle sales for April.

Apple shares rose 0.6 percent ahead of the iPhone maker's quarterly results due later on Tuesday.

Investors also were awaiting other significant events later in the week, including Wednesday's expected statement from the Federal Reserve, which began meeting on Tuesday, and Friday's U.S. employment report.

The Fed is widely expected to stand pat on interest rates, but may offer hints on the possibility of a rate hike in June.

The benchmark S&P 500 is approaching record highs during an earnings season that has generally exceeded expectations.

Overall, profits at S&P 500 companies are estimated to have risen 13.9 percent in the first quarter, the most since 2011, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

"The technicals in general look good for the S&P," said Bucky Hellwig, senior vice president at BB&T Wealth Management in Birmingham, Alabama. "The fundamentals are improving, particularly as the earnings season unfolds here."

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 36.43 points, or 0.17 percent, to 20,949.89, the S&P 500 gained 2.83 points, or 0.12 percent, to 2,391.16 and the Nasdaq Composite added 3.76 points, or 0.06 percent, to 6,095.37.

The S&P 500 has climbed 11.8 percent since President Donald Trump's Nov. 8 election, fueled by hopes for his plans for tax cuts, deregulation and infrastructure spending, though investors have questioned his ability to enact his agenda.

"The administration continues to issue tons of contradictory or hard-to-understand proposals and ideas and I think it has left this market a little bit confused about next steps," said Rick Meckler, president of investment firm LibertyView Capital Management in Jersey City, New Jersey.

In earnings news, Advanced Micro Devices tumbled 24.4 percent after the chipmaker's second-quarter gross margins forecast raised some concerns. The stock was the biggest percentage decliner in the S&P 500.